The Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) is a large genomic region that is present in most vertebrates, although individual MHC region-linked genes have been identified in invertebrate genomes such as Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans. The MHC gene products play a key role in adaptive immunology. Genes of the MHC are among the most polymorphic loci known in vertebrates, due to a high rate of mutation and recombination. Major differences between species reside not only in the number and identity of MHC genes, but also in the degree of allelic polymorphism for individual genes.
In general, three subgroups of MHC molecules can be defined, termed class I, II and III gene products. Molecules encoded by the so-called classical MHC class I and class II genes, present short peptides derived from proteins of pathogens and self antigens to the immune system. MHC class I genes encode molecules that are present on the surfaces of nearly all nucleated cells. These gene products are mainly responsible for facilitating immune responses to intracellularly processed pathogens such as viruses. MHC class II gene products are mainly present in a subset of antigen-presenting cells such as B-lymphocytes and activated T-lymphocytes. Class II gene products are primarily involved in the immune response against extracellular pathogens such as bacteria. Furthermore, they play an important role in recognition of foreign and self-antigens. MHC class III gene products are not involved in antigen presentation but rather represent other immune-related components such as components of the complement system.
Of particular importance are the MHC genes that encode the cell surface, antigen-presenting molecules. In humans, these genes are referred to as Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) genes. The classical MHC genes HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-C belong to MHC class I, encoding the alpha chain of the respective MHC molecule. The HLA class II region is divided into -DP, -DQ, and -DR. The classical HLA-DR, -DQ, and -DP molecules are transmembrane heterodimers, composed of an alpha- and beta-chain subunit encoded by the A and B genes, respectively.
Defects in some MHC class II genes have been associated with autoimmune disorders such as arthritis and diabetes (Otsuka et al. 2006. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 103: 14465-7; Aoki et al. 2005. Autoimmun Rev. 4: 373-9). Similarly, polymorphisms in MHC class II genes have been associated with susceptibility to a range of infectious diseases including malaria, tuberculosis, leprosy, typhoid fever, hepatitis and HIV/AIDS. For instance, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in rhesus macaques, a model for the human disease multiple sclerosis, is known to be influenced by certain MHC class II alleles (Slierendrecht et al. 1995. International Immunology, Vol. 7: 1671-1679).
In the human population, five major -DRB region configurations are classified. These region configurations share an invariant HLA-DRA gene and a -DRB9 gene segment but differ in physical length and also in the composition and number of other DRB loci. Like humans, other primates such as chimpanzees, gorillas, and rhesus macaques have variable numbers of MHC-DRB loci per haplotype (Doxiadis et al. 2000. J. of Immunol. 164: 3193-3199). For example, the DRB region configuration in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), termed Mamu-DRB, is highly plastic and has been subject to various contractions and expansions (Slierendregt et al. 1994. J Immunol 152: 2298-307). In humans a high degree of polymorphism is observed for the DRB1 locus present on all haplotypes (Robinson et al. 2003. Nucleic Acids Res 31: 311-4). In rhesus macaques, however, a high degree of region configuration polymorphism has been described characterized by marked differences with regard to number and content of distinct loci present per haplotype (Doxiadis et al. 2000. J Immunol 164: 3193-9; Doxiadis et al. 2001. Immunol Rev 183: 76-85). The Mamu-DRB region configurations themselves, however, display a relatively low degree of polymorphism. Most of the Mamu-DRB alleles belong to loci/lineages that are shared with humans (Bontrop et al. 1999. Immunol Rev 167: 339-50), and their alleles have been named accordingly (Klein et al. 1990. Immunogenetics 31: 217-9). Similar observations regarding sharing of certain MHC-DRB loci/lineages with human orthologues have been made for other primate species, whereas DRB alleles are mostly species specific (Bontrop et al. 1999. Immunol Rev 167: 339-50).
It is generally accepted that allelic polymorphisms of the MHC class II genes warrant that different allotypes select distinct peptides for T cell activation, preventing one particular pathogen from sweeping through an entire population. Most sequence variability is confined to exon 2 of the MHC-DPB, -DQA, -DQB, and -DRB genes. One of the most polymorphic regions in humans is the HLA-DRB region with more than 500 alleles described worldwide until now (Bodmer et al. 1999. Eur J. Immunogenet. 26: 81). In rhesus macaques, a species far less analysed than humans, already more than 135 Mamu-DRB distinct genes/alleles have been determined, a number which will increase rapidly when more animals are analysed.
Due to the complexity of the DRB-region, the existing typing procedures, involving single-strand conformation polymorphism, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses, or sequence analyses, are cumbersome and time consuming. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a typing procedure for the mammalian DRB region that allows an easy, economical, high resolution, fast and accurate haplotyping protocol.